Can you start a business while you’re getting divorced?
Yes – you can start or rebuild a business while you’re getting divorced, and for many women it’s the right time to begin. The key is to start small, keep your finances safe, and build at a pace real life can hold, rather than chasing overnight success.
Business mentor Karen Dennett did exactly that – she built her mentoring practice while separating, at one point with three weeks to move out of her home. Here’s her practical, tested advice on how to do it without burning out.
Key takeaways
Separation can be a good time to start a business, but only if you protect your finances first.
Start with the life you want, then build a business to fund it – name it, cost it, match it to your capacity.
You don’t need a website to begin. A social media page and a simple way to book can be enough.
Passive income is possible but not easy – it needs an audience who know, like and trust you.
If you need a job to pay the bills, take it. Financial safety leads to calmer decisions.
Pausing is not quitting. You’re allowed to pause, pivot and try something different.
Is separation a good time to start a business?
For many women, yes – separation is often when a business idea finally becomes a necessity rather than a maybe. The caution is financial: start in a way that doesn’t risk money you can’t afford to lose.
Karen knows this from the inside. A former business, enterprise and management teacher with a marketing degree, she built her practice while separating from a partner who worked away for weeks at a time and, she says, contributed no financial support. At one point she faced three weeks to move out of the family home, with no certainty she’d see any equity, and returned to full-time teaching to keep everything afloat.
I understand the pressure too. When my own marriage was ending, my then-husband told me the business had to be successful by Christmas or I should stop it. I asked for a divorce at Christmas instead.
The financial stakes are real and measured. Money is one of the hardest parts of this season – our guide to divorce and money covers it in more depth.
According to the Australian Institute of Family Studies, divorced women’s living standards drop significantly, and women and children are more likely than men to experience financial hardship afterwards. That’s exactly why Karen recommends building slowly and safely.
Starting a business while getting divorced can be done slowly while you’re holding down a regular job for steady income. Source: iStock
Should you start with the business or the life you want?
Start with the life you want, then build the business to fund it – not the other way around. This is Karen’s core method, and it prevents you building something that can never realistically pay for your life.
Her lifestyle-first exercise runs in four steps:
Name the life you want. “Do I want to be able to have a holiday? Do I want to be around for my kids?”
Cost it. Work out what that life realistically costs to set up and maintain each month.
Check your capacity. Look honestly at the hours and energy you actually have right now.
Match your model. Can what you sell fund that life in the time you’ve got?
“Then it’s very, very clear to see whether or not there’s a mismatch,” Karen said. If there is one, that’s information, not a verdict on your worth. You adjust the model – new revenue streams, tiered pricing, maybe a small product later.
Do you need a website to start a business?
No – you do not need a website to start a business. You can begin with a social media page and a simple way for people to book or pay.
“You absolutely don’t need a full bells-and-whistles website to get started,” Karen said. Starting lean keeps your costs low while you test whether people want what you offer – which matters when every dollar counts.
Is passive income realistic when you’re starting out?
Passive income is possible but not easy, and it is rarely as fast as social media ads suggest. It requires an audience who already know, like and trust you.
“In my view, passive income isn’t easy. It is possible,” Karen said. “It’s something that you need an audience for.” The common mistake is falling in love with creating the ebook or course and forgetting no one is there to buy it. “You don’t get stuck in the content creation and then you go ta-da, and then there’s no one there.”
Profile-raising comes first. Build the audience, then the product has somewhere to land.
How do you keep going when your confidence is low?
The most effective thing is connection – surround yourself with women who understand both business and the season you’re in. Small grounding habits help too, but people come first.
“Build your friendship communities,” Karen said. When she was at her lowest, three weeks from moving out, the women she’d met through business showed up. One paid for her to do a women’s circle for her birthday. Another arrived at her new rental with champagne. Another with flowers and biscuits.
“That’s why I really massively advocate for business friends” – not networking contacts, but friends who get the work and get the season you’re in.
Her steadying habits are small and doable: a gratitude journal, a walk, and one hour a week carved out just for you. If you need a gentle structure for rebuilding confidence, the free Self Trust Roadmap walks through it in five phases. [Confirm exact URL.]
Why do so many women undercharge – and how do you stop?
Women often undercharge because they don’t yet see their own value – they describe themselves as “just” doing something and treat being paid as a favour. The fix is to name the specific difference you make for people.
“I’m just an admin person. I just do gardening,” Karen hears often. “They really undervalue themselves.” They underprice and over-deliver.
This is structural as well as emotional: women make up only around 35% of Australian small business owners, according to industry data, even though many new micro-businesses are started by women. Naming the shift you create – the relief, the time given back – is where confidence returns.
Should you pause your business or push through?
If you’re overwhelmed, pausing is a legitimate choice – and it is not the same as quitting. You can slow the business right down, or step back entirely for a while, without giving up on it.
“There’s a difference between giving up and pausing and pivoting and trying something different,” Karen said.
You can also take a job to steady the money while you build. There’s no shame in it – and government support may help in the meantime; our guide to Centrelink payments after separation explains what’s available in Australia.
If you’re a single mum starting a business, taking a break until you’re more financially stable is a valid option. Source: iStock
Frequently asked questions
Can I start a business while separating if I have no money?
Yes. You can bootstrap a business lean, with a free or low-cost social media page and a simple booking or payment tool, rather than paying for a website or investment up front. Keep overheads minimal until money is coming in.
Is it better to get a job or start a business after divorce?
It doesn’t have to be one or the other. Many women take a job for financial stability and build a business gradually alongside it. As Karen puts it, if you’re not paying the bills you won’t make good business decisions anyway.
How many hours a week do I need to start a business?
You can start with very little time – even one focused hour a week. The point is steady, consistent progress that fits your real capacity, not long days that leave you exhausted.
What kind of business can I start as a single mum?
Start with skills you already have and a service you can deliver around your schedule – consulting, freelancing, a trade, tutoring or a small product. Karen’s advice is to match the business to the life and hours you have, then grow from there.
If you’re standing at the start
Karen’s parting advice: find some business friends, get clear on the life you want and what it costs, look after yourself, and take a job if you need one. Then begin – small, steady, yours. You can hear the full conversation on Divorce With Carolyn.
And if you’d like to rebuild alongside other women who understand exactly what this season asks of you, the Women’s Divorce Academy membership is here when you’re ready – practical frameworks, live support and a community that has your back. Learn more here.
